Where to Eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 5 restaurants with standout warm dishes

How about some hot pot.

Photo courtesy of Pop Pot

Winter 2019-2020 has been pretty mild in DFW so far. But February is looking to settle that score. Brrr it's cold.

Does eating warm food warm you up? Actually, no: The foods that raise your body temperature are those that take longer to digest — things like complex carbohydrates. Like oats.

That said, eating or drinking something hot is said to make you think you are warmer. So let's just go with stereotypical hearty dishes and call it a day.

For February Where to Eat, here are five Dallas restaurants with dishes to warm things up:

CrushCraft Thai
Tom kha gai, aka Thai coconut soup, is a dish with which you can almost never go wrong. It's a complex dish that combines so many sensations all at once: spicy and sour, filling yet light, delicate yet bursting with flavor, with coconut milk serving as a medium to pull it all together. And most of Dallas' Thai restaurants are good at what they do. CrushCraft in Uptown is one of the most centrally located, and their version of this classic is especially delectable, thanks to its potent dose of seasonings and fresh ingredients, balanced by the richness of the coconut milk. If only they didn't use plastic utensils. C'mon, CrushCraft, get us some silver.

Eddie Napoli's
This small, loosely-connected chain dishes out Italian-American standards in unpretentious locations in Frisco, Garland, and Plano. The concept was founded in Amarillo a decade ago by Enver "Eddie" Kolenovic, aka Chef Eddie, aka Chef Eddie Kola, and the locations are owned by various friends and family. They have many minor variations on the name be it Eddies Napoli's, Eddie's Napoli's, or Eddie's Napolis. Eddie's owners, get your stories straight.

Like many "Italian" restaurants around DFW, the background here is actually Albanian, which has not always been a positive force on the local Italian restaurant scene. But in this case, the food is decent, with hearty pastas and respectable pizzas where the crust is made in house, not too thin, not too thick, with a nice browned edge; and fresh spinach is a topping option. One great and informal dish to order: garlic knots with a side of marinara sauce for dipping. Very warming.

Lakewood Smokehouse
Easygoing neighborhood spot in Lakewood Shopping Center is loved by the locals for its commendable barbecue, sandwiches, wings, pizza, and queso, including one noteworthy queso doctored up with brisket. That's not even getting into the long list of Texas beers on tap as well as craft cocktails.

Like many restaurants, they do chili — but not just any chili. This is a chili made with Prime brisket that's been smoked for 14 hours, then simmered with tomatoes and Shiner bock and 14 spices, layered in while it cooks. You can get it in a bowl, or get it piled onto a baked potato topped with melted cheese, scallions, and sour cream.

Pop Pot & Tea
Small spot inside the food court at the 99 Ranch Mart in Frisco is a hidden find. It's counter service, and maybe that's why it's a pleasant surprise to find that they do hot pots, both in individual size or bigger versions to share, where you get a bowl of steaming broth that's filled with ingredients that cook while you watch. The presentation is cool (but a bit dangerous): The pot is served atop a box that holds a charcoal fire. When your order is called, you need to ferry it verrry carefully to your table, where it will continue to cook.

You can choose from their pre-set options or customize your ingredients from a selection that includes seafood, beef, tofu, vegetables, noodles, and more. If that's not warming enough for you, they also have crunchy fried brown rice cakes and the rare Chinese fermented treat called stinky tofu, which comes with plenty of Chinese pickled cabbage. That'll warm you up for sure.

Spiral Diner
Gumbo, Louisiana's favorite stew, makes for a quintessential good cold-weather dish, and thanks to a strong Cajun presence in our local restaurant scene, there are no shortage of options. For a novel twist, consider a vegan version, now being offered by DFW's most famous vegan restaurant, available throughout the month of February.

Their "Old Fashioned File Gumbo" has okra, carrots, celery, vegan sausage, and a new item for the mini-chain: vegan "shrimp" by Plants Lead Our Way, an Austin-based company that sells amazing vegan versions of meats and cheese. The gumbo boasts a Creole roux with hints of sassafras and cayenne, and is served over a bed of rice. It's available at all three Spiral Diner locations: Dallas, Fort Worth, and Denton.

where-to-eat

East Dock development

'Chopped' champion opens Pan-Latin restaurant at Oak Cliff's East Dock

Photo courtesy of Barro y Fuego

Barro y Fuego specializes in parrilladas, or grilled meats.

A Latin American, chef-driven restaurant is one of the newest additions to Oak Cliff's vibrant dining scene: Barro y Fuego is now open in suite 100 of the refurbished historic East Dock, at 900 E. Clarendon Dr., joining Bite Sushi, Elevate Coffee, Kuluntu Bakery, and other neighbors.

The restaurant comes from longtime friends and business partners Robert Ramirez and Eric Spigner.

Spigner formerly was chef at Nova Oak Cliff, which won Restaurant of the Year in the 2018 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards; he was a Tastemakers Rising Star nominee in 2019. He's best known as champion of the Food Network competition show Chopped in 2021.

Ramirez is a 25-year veteran of the restaurant design business who also envisioned, designed, and developed East Dock, the mixed-use development that houses Barro y Fuego and an assortment of dining, retail, gym, and office spaces. The development is near the new five-acre Halperin Park, a bridge park spanning Interstate 35.

The partners named the restaurant Barro y Fuego — translating to “clay and fire”— to reflect their vision for the restaurant. The grill is always afire for parrilladas, or grilled meats, while decorative clay pots by artists from Peru and Mexico line the interior and are available for purchase.

Beyond a market area, the restaurant incorporates elements of a rustic cantina, with natural wood and earthy tones creating a cozy atmosphere. The indoor dining area accommodates up to 80 guests, with a communal table, booths, traditional tables, and bar seating along the open kitchen. An adjacent outdoor grill and patio overlooking a creek is open year-round and seats another 80.

“The open kitchen was important to us,” Ramirez says. “You can sit at the bar and watch the cooking; it's a natural gathering point. We focused on a design that is raw, minimal, and for everybody: dates, families, friends — come casual or come dressed up.”

The Pan-Latin menu draws on Ramirez’s upbringing and travels throughout the region, along with Spigner’s professional experience with Caribbean, Spanish, and Latin American flavors.

“Latin America is vast; my vision is to take it all in and present a concise statement of a broader culture — where you might not pinpoint a specific country, but rather a fusion of many in a single dish,” Spigner says.

This vision yields a unique menu spanning Latin America with subtle Spanish influences. The menu features shareable plates ranging from $20 to $40 and includes:

Gambas al Ajo Negro: Sautéed shrimp in a black garlic emulsion with charred okra and blistered tomatoes.
Costillas de Res Estofadas: Boneless beef ribs served with chimichurri crème fraîche, plantains, and charred zucchini.
Arroz con Pollo: Chicken confit over red rice, served with coconut milk collard greens and sauce africaine.
Panceta de Cerdo Estofada: Braised pork belly accompanied by chipotle-agave sweet potato puree and collard green chimichurri.

On weekdays, the restaurant offers a menu with items under $20, including sandwiches and smaller portions of main dishes. It’s designed for nearby business tenants, residents, and visitors to the Dallas Zoo and surrounding parks.

Brunch with live Latin jazz music takes places on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am-3 pm. The brunch menu includes clam, chorizo, and avocado tostadas; ropa vieja; torrijas, which are similar to French toast; and a pork belly and pisto manchego Benedict.

The full bar serves specialty cocktails such as a Negroni verde, caipirinha, and espresso martinis using ingredients from neighbor Elevate Coffee. The beer selection celebrates all of Latin America rather than focusing solely on Mexico, the proprietors say. They feature representative brands from nearly every country for $7. They also pour Mexican Lager from nearby, newly opened Smittox Brewery.

Looking ahead, the team says they plan to host ticketed community events, including paella nights, pig roasts, and live music showcasing local cumbia, rock en español bands, and DJs.

bar openings restaurant opening latin american food robert ramirez eric spigner. east dock oak cliff barro y fuego